Virtual creators, AI and designer babies are among the major forces set to impact business in Australia, according to Ogilvy PR’s latest Seven Forces of the Future report.

In its third year running, the report revealed seven key emerging trends, including consumer reaction to overuse of technology and the impact of AI and use of data, that will directly impact Australian business and marketers going forward.

“The report covers topics that impact all industries, such as artificial intelligence, voice recognition technology and the power of geodata,” Ogilvy PR’s Deputy CEO, Richard Brett, said. “The speed of discovery and development of innovative new products and services, means brands must take both a short-term and a long-term view, planning strategies not just for the next year, but for the ensuing decades.”

Amid our fast paced, mobile first, hyper-connected world, the report showed cultural trends that are shaping marketing in the age of social media, and in particular, the trend towards the dull, the boring and the ordinary.

“Brands and organisations can embrace this movement by realising many consumers want an escape from technology, information and the rat-race,” Brett said. “Embrace the humble, the everyday and real stories of small but remarkable achievement.”

Communities at the heart of communications

In a world largely driven by social media and the shared economy, corporate scandal and institutional mistrust, the report found consumers are looking to engage more with real ‘people like us’. For marketers looking to better connect with customers, this means taking a powerful look at how community can be placed at the heart of communications.

“From a communications perspective, the impact is that organisations will need to look at ways to put real people at the heart of their campaigns, with a meaningful role, to co-create share-able content that moves communities and nations,” Brett said.

At a macro level, the report suggested demographics and technologies are solving decades old challenges, but at the same time, are also creating new forces that could impact and dictate government policy. Meanwhile from a corporate standpoint, insights where data, artificial intelligence, technology and innovation are fundamentally changing the machinery of business

According to the report, Australian business will be increasingly impacted by the debate about data and the use of it, data breaches and cyber security - a debate which will only be accelerated by the rise of AI. At the same time, consumers looking to escape technology and celebrate the ordinary and the impact on how products are marketed.

“The tipping point of AI has been reached, and now companies are opening up their software so that we can all use it,” Brett claimed. “As a result, a myriad new applications and uses are now coming online that help us create, produce and make our world more efficient, organised and smarter.”

Cyborgs and clones

As human and machines merge, the report also raised the issue of ‘clones’ and radical new trends in healthcare that will lead to great leap forward in life expectancy and cures. However, these could raise fresh challenges around designer babies and even warfare.

“It has never been more important for business and brands to understand change, where it’s headed and what it means,” Brett said. “In today’s fast-paced digital world, a wealth of instantly accessible information, globalisation and social media have exponentially increased the emergence of new trends.”

Australia’s cricketers captured the nation’s attention during their recent run to the semi-final of the ICC Men’s World Cup. While the tournament ultimately ended in defeat, for over a month it provoked a sense of belonging, hope and empowerment for millions of people across Australia. Cricket, and sport in general, has a near-unique ability to empower individuals, irrelevant of their background, demographic or nationality.

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